SATA

• Salvación - 2025 Wednesday Books, New York, NY
• Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories (editor) - 2024 Inkyard Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

• The Nerd Daily - https://thenerddaily.com/sandra-proudman-author-interview/

  Q&A: Sandra Proudman, Editor of ‘Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories’
  Elise Dumpleton·Writers Corner·February 4, 2024·5 min read

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  We chat with Sandra Proudman about Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories, which is a new YA anthology featuring sixteen stories from award-winning and bestselling YA authors and they all center around a Latinx point of view by reimagining classics through fantasy, science fiction, and with a dash of magic.

  Hi, Sandra! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
  Hi everyone! I am a Mexican American author, mom to an incredible toddler, huge advocate for more marginalized voices in publishing, and a literary agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency. I was born in Mexico, but grew up in California, where I really have learned to love everything from camping and being outdoors to enjoying a great Sunday brunch or farmer’s market morning with my husband and kiddo. I am a fan of speculative fiction and at heart am a science fiction nerd, which is why I am so excited to debut in the traditional publishing world with a post-apocalyptic story in Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories!

  When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
  I’ve loved books all my life. Both of my parents were big readers and I grew up going to the library every single week and immersed in the world of books. So I owe my love of writing and stories to my family and libraries.

  Quick lightning round! Tell us:
  The first book you ever remember reading: I truly have the worst memory and can’t name anything really, but I do remember I enjoyed Caroline B. Cooney books when I was younger.
  The one that made you want to become an author: There are way too many to name, the one that made me believe that I could become an author, though, as a Latina who understood the lack of Latinx representation in the industry, was Zoraida Córdova’s Brooklyn Bruja’s series. And now, I have the honor of having Zoraida as one of my contributors in Relit, which has been incredible.
  The one that you can’t stop thinking about: A recent one that I thought was absolutely brilliant is Amber McBride’s Gone Wolf.
  Releasing on February 6th, Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories is a new YA anthology, which is edited by you! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
  Magical. Diverse. Adventurous. Feels. Wondrous.

  What can readers expect?
  Readers can expect cinematic adventures from diverse Latinx perspectives. Lots of amazing queer voices, queer love, and queer crushes. Heartache that cuts you to the core, and healing moments that offer you hope for a better world. Readers can expect to be taken on a ride through the cosmos or under water or to places they’ve never ventured before. Most of all, readers can expect to see Latinx teens as the heroes of their own stories.

  Where did the inspiration for Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories come from?
  I wanted to give a go at editing a Latinx anthology and, with a background in project management, I knew that I could do a good job. But, of course, I still needed to come up with the concept or hook. I ultimately decided that since I love speculative fiction, it made sense to make the anthology a little bit of everything within that realm. The idea of integrating that with classics retellings really came from wanting there to be a strong library and school presence for the book in order to give as many teens access to the anthology as possible. During the time I was coming up with this concept, there was also a huge debate regarding whether we needed to modernize classics for the teens of today. I figured I’d combine these two ideas into one truly special project that is Relit!

  See also

  Q&A: Steven Banks, Author of ‘Middle School Bites: Out for Blood’
  This is your first anthology! Can you tell us a bit about the process of how it came together?
  It is! It’s been a really fun process, but not without its challenges. Once I knew what I wanted the theme of the anthology to be, I started to contact contributors and was able to put together a really incredible list of amazing authors. We sold the anthology to a perfect imprint, but soon after we lost our first editor when they moved soon after they acquired the anthology, which was heartbreaking since Stephanie Cohen is amazing. Our second editor for the anthology, Meghan Maria McCullough, who is equally amazing, we lost when Inkyard Press was shuttered, which again, was so heartbreaking. But we’ve been tremendously lucky to have landed with our third and final editor for the project, Carolina Ortiz. She’s been such a joy to work with and has taken this project and cared for it as much as I could have hoped. In terms of the stories coming together, everyone on the contributor list for Relit is a true professional, so the stories came easily, contributors brought their A+++ game, and now we get to celebrate its launch!

  What’s next for you?
  I have a YA horror short story in an anthology edited by a good friend of mine, Alex Brown, titled The House Where Death Lives, which is coming out on August 6, 2024 from Page Street Books. It’s Squid Game meets Escape Room, but also focuses on the teens that have to do impossible things for themselves and their families. I am also working on wrapping up revisions for my first full-length novel that will be released, a historical fantasy called Salvación, which is coming out from Wednesday Books in spring or summer of 2025. It’s a Zorro retelling with salt magic that imagines a world where magical healing salt has been discovered instead of gold during the pre-gold-rush era. As you can expect, it has a lot of action, a lot of adventure and romance, and underneath it all (in full Zorro fashion) it talks about colonialism and doesn’t shy away from having a strong take there.

  Lastly, are there any 2024 book releases that you’re looking forward to?
  Outside of ALL of the books being released from Relit contributors this year (including NoNieqa Ramos’s Best Believe, which also comes out February 6th), I’m really excited for Damara Allen’s The Skeleton Flute. Damara was a mentee of mine when Pitch Wars was still running, and I can’t wait for everyone to read her amazing MG horror. I’m also really excited for Jonny Garza Villa’s Canto Contigo and Aiden Thomas’s Celestial Monsters.

• Las Musas Books - https://www.lasmusasbooks.com/blog/salvacion-sandra-proudman

  Salvación: Sandra Proudman
  5/20/2025 0 Comments

  Picture
  Join us in congratulating Sandra Proudman for the birthday of her book Salvación. We sat down with Sandra to learn more about her beautiful book!
  Sandra, welcome to this Las Musas blog interview. Please tell us about this project.
  In this Latinx YA fantasy debut inspired by El Zorro, Lola de La Peña becomes the masked heroine Salvación in order to save her family and town from a man who would destroy it for the magic it contains ... if she doesn’t fall in love with a boy in his company first.
  What inspired you to become a writer?
  Like so many authors, I’ve been inspired by a love of storytelling and reading since a very young age. Both my mom and dad love to read, and I grew up going to the library all of the time and picking out books to take home (libraries are so special!!!). It was one of my favorite things to do along with going to book fairs, and there’s something about reading that stuck with me throughout my early years; I was definitely the kid reading during recess in middle school and the teen that English teachers lent extra books to in high school. I’ve always loved writing and wrote my very first partial when I was thirteen (lol on that, though I still have it!), but it wasn’t until one Spring Break after I’d already graduated from college, gotten married, and was living in South Lake Tahoe, that I completed the very first draft of my first novel. That novel is still very much tucked away after it got chewed up in the query trenches, but since then, not only did I want to become an author, but I also knew that I had the ability to complete manuscripts and have been working so hard toward the goal ever since.

  How would you describe your main character? Why did you create your character that way?
  Lola or, as her family calls her, Loli, is something who is extremely fierce and completely loyal to doing the right thing. I wanted to create a character that was of course true to the nature of Zorro, someone who always fights for what’s right and is the true meaning of a hero. I loved getting to write someone who does flawed things, but who isn’t morally gray; just a feminist Mexican girl who is willing to stand up for what’s right even against her own family.

  What message are you hoping readers will take away from this story?
  The story has a lot of layers in it, but a couple I want to highlight are:
  1) How important family is, but also how important it is that you as an individual have your own perspective on life not influenced fully by your family, so that you know that you can carve your own path toward the future that you want for yourself and those that come after.
  2) How important it is to acknowledge factual history and keep it alive through storytelling in a way that does not give any party an out in the terrible things that happened to the Indigenous populations in California and throughout the continent and has historically continued to happen to Indigenous cultures.

  What comes next for you as an author?
  I am so excited to be working on new secret things!!! I WILL have a 2026 release. Though I can’t talk about it yet, I hope to be able to do so soon, and might even have by the time SALVACIÓN is released. And I am ALWAYS working on anything that I can, so although I am sticking in the young adult realm for a while, I have also been trying to get into the picture book world, inspired by my toddler, and a true love for picture books.

  What books are on your to-be-read list?
  There are always just too many amazing books, but I will say that Las Musas YA debuts came in especially fierce for 2025, and are all still novels that I am hoping to devour once I’m through with launching SALVACIÓN:
  THE IS THE YEAR by Gloria Muñoz
  ON THE WINGS OF LA NOCHE by Vanessa L. Torres
  THESE VENGEFUL WISHES by Vanessa Montalban
  Order your copy of Salvación
  Get to know Sandra Proudman!
  Sandra Proudman (she/her/ella) is the editor of the YA Latinx SFF anthology, RELIT: 16 LATINX REMIXES OF CLASSIC STORIES (Inkyard Press, Out Now!), a contributor to THE HOUSE WHERE DEATH LIVES (Page Street Kids, Out Now!), and the author of the YA fantasy SALVACIÓN (Wednesday Books,
  May 20, 2025). She has more fun book news coming soon! She is also a literary associate and agent at Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency, assisting Marietta Zacker and representing a small list of authors and author-illustrators.

  When not busily immersed in all things publishing, you can find her spending time with her amazing husband and adorable toddler, catching up on all her shows, and attempting to take care of her many plants.
  Picture
  Photo credit: Joe Proudman
  Connect with Sandra:
  ​Instagram and Bluesky: @SandraProudman
  ​www.writesandrawrite.com

• SheWrites - https://shewrites.com/on-being-an-author-and-a-literary-agent/

  Sandra Proudman on Being an Author and a Literary Agent
  By She Writes Editors|June 2025|Categories: Columns, Featured, Modern Writer|Tags: Featured, June Issue 2025
  Sandra Proudman (she/her/ella) is the editor of the YA Latinx SFF anthology, Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories, and a contributor to the YA horror anthology, The House Where Death Lives, both out now. Salvación is her first full-length novel. She is also a literary agent, passionate about bringing underrepresented voices to the forefront. When not busily immersed in all things publishing, you can find her spending time with her amazing husband and adorable toddler, gathering rollie pollies and going on adventures, catching up on all her shows, or trying to get the perfect tortilla puff.

  I am often asked about being an agent and an author simultaneously. How does one inform the other? How did I get into doing both? What is my story?

  Although I loved books since a young age and eventually minored in creative writing in college, I never had a clear path or the knowledgebase for how to get started in publishing—neither as an author nor as a publishing professional.

  With little to get me started, my publishing journey began the same as most folks’—filled with chaos, disappointment, and ample rejection. My first full-length book release, Salvación, a YA fantasy Zorro retelling, came out May 20th from Wednesday Books, yet it is the seventh full manuscript I’ve penned. The first manuscript that I queried received only one full request.

  It took years of tenacious learning how to navigate publishing and countless hours at the keyboard to get to where I am today. In those years, I fell in love with not only writing and the dream of becoming an author but also helping other publishing creatives do the same. Mentoring authors of color through Pitch Wars and other mentorship programs became one of my favorite ways to give back to the community.

  The fact that I get to follow both my dream of being an author and of being an agent is nothing short of unbelievable luck, and ample hard work.

  Is there such a thing as too much?
  If I had a hundred dollars for every time someone has asked me how I manage to balance being an author, a literary agent, having a full-time job (at my agency!), and being a parent, I’d have a few thousand dollars— and maybe scheduling time at a spa. My initial response to this question is always to laugh (very awkwardly) because the honest truth is I work an embarrassing amount I don’t often admit.

  I assure you, though, I am living my best life.

  For a while I was at jobs I dreaded working for people that treated me poorly, and working full-time in publishing seemed an unattainable dream. Now I am eternally grateful that every day I get to live, breathe, and immerse myself in all things books (with a little Spidey and His Amazing Friends on the side, my toddler’s latest obsession).

  How does being an author work if you’re an agent?
  All of the above is to give you some background information for the questions: Should authors be literary agents? And should literary agents be authors? And how do both inform each other in a way that feels balanced and fair?

  As we see more agents becoming authors and more authors becoming agents, this question is one of the hardest things about juggling both roles.

  There’s a misconception that it’s easier to get an agent if you’re an agent (though I admit I had an agent already before becoming one myself), as well as a book deal. I can’t tell you the experience of others, but I can answer this: Have I been rejected since becoming an agent? Absolutely. Have I shelved books since becoming an agent? Absolutely.

  There are of course times when being an agent does help me navigate publishing. For instance, I know how to read my contracts and what each clause means. I am also a lot more aware of what is being published, what editors are asking for, and what I think is going to be trending. But these aren’t necessarily things that authors who aren’t agents don’t have access to. I continuously tout signing up for Publishers Weekly announcements so you’re always in the know on what is getting acquired. Many editors post their manuscript wishlists publicly on their social media, on MSWL.com, or on their own websites. For contracts, the Author’s Guild website has a sample contract that is available for anyone to download and study.

  I am informed more simply because it’s my job to be, not necessarily because of access.

  And I make efforts to never talk about myself as an author when I’m representing my clients. I make sure that when I’m agenting, that’s the only hat that I’m wearing, and am respectful of those whom I represent.

  My favorite part of being an author-agent is being able to use my own experiences to help my clients navigate publishing, especially those who are launching their first books. For example, since I have a lot of experience editing and revising myself, I’m able to be more aware of how long it might take an author to do the changes that I’m asking of them and can coordinate deadlines and expectations in a way where my authors won’t be overwhelmed. I also have first-hand experience and can build greater empathy with my clients. I’m fairly attuned to what my clients need to learn as they’re debuting because I’ve had to learn all of these things myself. In a way, being an author has allowed me to catch up quickly to agents who have been in the industry longer than I have, and to do better by my clients.

  Ultimately, being an author has made it possible for me to be a more effective agent (along with countless hours of mentoring).

  Where will I go from here?
  I talk a lot about how there are absolutely goals that you can have with publishing, but so much of it is simply getting on a spinning wheel. As an author it’s constantly starting on a new manuscript and eventually releasing that project, over and over again. As a literary agent, it’s developing those projects with your clients and helping take them from submission to publication, over and over again.

  I’ll continue to learn, striving to constantly be a better author and a better agent. And I’ll continue to simply enjoy getting to be in an industry that I think has the power to change the world. Despite the faults we’re all constantly trying to manage, I fully believe publishing is magical.

  My goals as an author and a literary agent also tend to align. As a Latiné author, my goal is to continue to give space and a voice to Mexican American teens. As an agent, my goal is to give space and a voice to marginalized creatives. And I’m proud and eager to continue to meet this goal in both spaces.

  Salvación by Sandra Proudman
  By day, she lives as Lola de La Peña, a young Latinx socialite in the town of Coloma, and by night, she is a vigilante, set on protecting the city from the dangerous people who threaten to take away their magic, sal negra (black salt). One night, a woman comes into town warning them of Damien Hernández, a man who ruined her town and is set out to take Coloma next. Lola must race against the clock and take down Hernández before the next full moon to save her home. She teams up with Alejandro, a boy working for Hernández she can’t fully trust but can’t ignore her feelings for, to protect everyone she loves.

• Manuscript Wish List - https://www.manuscriptwishlist.com/mswl-post/sandra-proudman/

  Sandra Proudman
  Gallt & Zacker Literary Agency
  My Manuscript Wish List®
  What am I looking for?

  I am continuing to look to diversify my list this year as its important to me to continue to strive for all kids to see themselves on the page as the heroes of their own stories. I am especially looking for marginalized and underrepresented voices and am especially looking for clients from Middle Eastern, South Asian, South American, and Indigenous backgrounds.

  PBs/Early Readers: I would love to sign an author-illustrator that is doing work like Flavia Z. Drogo or Ben Clanton. I love character-driven stories full of light and humor. I also really enjoy STEAM topics, so if there is a chance for a kiddo to learn in your work, that’s always a plus!

  Middle Grade: I would love to find a graphic novelist that is working on a speculative project in the vein of Wendell and Wild or Sweet Tooth.

  Young Adult: I am particularly looking for romcoms and horror/thrillers in this age group. In terms of horror, I like the entire genre and am OK with body horror.

  Adult: I would love to find a horror like The Hacienda or Mexican Gothic. Or a beautifully written speculative story that’ll make me feel ALL of the feels.

  Anything you shouldn’t send me?

  Although I don’t have any triggers, please do include any trigger warnings in your query to me so I know what to expect. I really appreciate it!

  I am not the best fit for straight historical fiction or sports stories that don’t have a speculative angle. At this moment, I am being incredibly selective in MG, so it might be best to try my colleagues at GZLA first!

  Fun facts about me:
  I have a high-energy toddler who keeps me on my toes
  I can bake a mean five-star apple pie
  I am also an author (Relit (out now), The House Where Death Lives (August ’24), Salvación (2025), and love to use what I’ve learned first hand to guide my clients.
  Submission Guidelines
  I am currently closed to unsolicited submissions likely until the summer or early fall! Though this could change. Please keep an eye out here and on my Twitter account for updates!

  Vital Info
  sandra@galltzacker.com
  @@sandraproudman

  Website

  (Assistant) Literary Agent, Agent, Associate Literary Agent

  Fiction:
  Action/Adventure, BIPOC Literature, Bookclub, Caribbean Literature, Children's, Commercial, Contemporary, CyberPunk, Fantasy, Gothic, Graphic Novel, Horror, Humor, LGBTQ, Magical Realism, Middle Grade, Mystery, New Adult, Picture Books, Romcom, Science Fiction, Short Story, Speculative, Steampunk, Thriller, Young Adult
  Non-Fiction:
  Memoir

  Favorite sub-genres:
  #ownvoices, AAPI Fantasy, AAPI Horror, AAPI Sci-Fi, Action-Adventure, Activism, Adult SFF, African Diaspora, African Fantasy, African Sci-Fi, Africanfuturism, Graphic Novels, Illustrator, Magical Realism, Speculative Fiction, action-packed graphic novels, contemporary, horror

  I’d like the next…
  Yellowjackets
  Wendell & Wild
  Sweet Tooth
  Mexican Gothic
  The Hacienda
  Hands
  Cemetery Boys
  Mooncakes
  Crumbs
  Narwhal & Jelly
  Leila The Perfect Witch
  My favorites include…
  10 Books I’ve Loved:

  Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
  Lobizona by Romina Garber
  What Lane? by Torrey Maldonado
  Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez
  Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
  Blanca & Roja by A-M McLemore
  Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega
  Valentina Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Córdova
  The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
  Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi
  10 Shows I’ve Loved:

  The OA
  The 100
  The Expanse
  Foundation
  DEVS
  The Magicians
  Lost
  Upload
  Raised by Wolves
  Manifest
  10 Moves I’ve Loved:

  Pitch Black
  Aliens
  Prometheus
  Annihilation
  Coco
  Encanto
  Intersteller
  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
  Underwater
  The Descent

• Writer's Digest - https://www.writersdigest.com/losing-your-champions-amidst-success

  Losing Your Champions Amidst Success
  Author Sandra Proudman shares her experience of losing her agent and editor (more than once) and how she persevered to publish her novel.
  Sandra Proudman
  Published May 21, 2025 4:08 PM EDT
  WHEN THINGS CHANGE SO QUICKLY
  One afternoon two years ago, I was taking care of my toddler and had just begun packing him into our car to go home from the zoo when I received a text message from my first literary agent at KT Literary asking if I had a few minutes to talk.

  My mind began to swirl. Were they dropping me? We were just in the midst of revisions on a partial that I was hoping would lead to my first full-length novel sale, so I felt like it was unlikely. But then again, what did they want to talk about?

  (I Got 8 Agent Offers; Then, My Book Died on Sub.)

  My heart racing, I quickly typed back. A few minutes later, I was on the phone and my agent was telling me that they’d decided to leave the publishing industry entirely and, therefore, would no longer be representing my work.

  To make it all worse, they also informed me that my editor for an anthology I was editing that we had sold two months prior, was also leaving the industry. From one minute to another, I was agent-less, editor-less, champion-less, and it was a harsh reminder that in publishing, things can change so quickly. The only silver lining: The amazing, Kate Testerman, owner of KT Literary, wanted to talk to me about taking over representation for my work.

  I drove home, with my toddler falling asleep in the backseat, thoughts in chaos, unsure of what would happen next with my career.

  Losing Your Champions Amidst Success, by Sandra Proudman
  TAKING A BREATH, TRUSTING YOUR GUT
  That evening, after talking to my husband, who reminded me that no matter what, I would be okay, I took my first full breath. After all, even if Kate ultimately passed on me as a client, the trenches didn’t seem so doomsday scary to me. I’d survived them once, I would do so again, right?

  The moment that Kate and I got on the phone, relief further spread over me, even more exciting was the fact that the call was one to officially offer representation. Although losing my first literary agent felt like a heavy weight and, on a personal level, was simply quite sad, the work that they did behind the scenes to try to pair their clients with another agent at their agency, for me, led to a wonderful new connection.

  After the call, I had a choice: I could either take Kate’s offer or choose to leave KT Literary and query widely.

  We talk a lot about how in publishing, your journey is only as good as your agent—and it truly is terrifying to think that you might make a mistake in choosing the wrong champion. In this case, I chose to trust my gut, and my gut was telling me to take Kate’s wonderful offer.

  WD Tutorials
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  Click to continue.

  BECOMING A CHAMELEON
  A few weeks after taking the offer from Kate, I learned that my agent-client relationship would be much different in one particular way, which would lead to my chameleon era in publishing: Kate wasn’t as editorial as my first agent had been. Still, I knew she wouldn’t send anything out she didn’t approve the quality of, and I learned to trust the quality of my writing.

  A few weeks after we sent it away, Kate and I heard back on the revise and resubmit, and received Wednesday Books’ offer for my debut novel, SALVACIÓN, a Zorro retelling seeped with salt magic, a slow burn romance, and a Mexican and very feminist heroine!

  I’ve had other chameleon moments along the way: from Inkyard Press shuttering a few months before the release of my anthology, Relit: 16 Latinx Remixes of Classic Stories, to losing my acquiring editor for SALVACIÓN a few months before its release now as well.

  It’s always hurt losing champions that I so loved along the road to publication, but I’ve always been so thankful for every opportunity that they’ve given me and my work, and each one of them has helped shape me into the writer I am today: someone who feels confident enough that me and my work can stand on its own, regardless of any changes that happen.

  And all of these happenings have confirmed that things can and (hey there, Murphy’s Law) will, change sometimes in drastic ways, but if you take a breath, and trust your gut, more often than not, these changes don’t mean chaos, but new opportunities to work with even more of the amazing champions that make up the publishing industry.

Salvacion by Sandra Proudman Middle School, High School Wednesday/St. Martin's 336 pp. 5/25 9781250895080 $21.00 e-book ed. 9781250895097 $11.99

In this novel inspired by El Zorro and set soon after the 1848 signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, proper young Mexican woman Lola de La Pena and her family have settled in Alta California. The new surroundings abound with sal negra, a natural sediment that has healing abilities. As pilgrims in need arrive daily in their town of Coloma seeking help from Lola's mama, whose connection with the sal first led to the discovery of its magic, her papa and brother mine the precious substance, while Lola is sidelined by societal expectations. But when night falls, she dons riding pants, a mask, and a sombrero, becoming Salvacion, a vigilante and gifted rider defending the people of Coloma against the threat of those who wish to claim sal negra and Coloma for themselves. Trouble worsens with the arrival of Damian Hernandez, whose false promises of retaking Alta California are a pretense for his desire to find sal roja, sal negra's deadly, destructive opposite. Long and ruminative passages sometimes undercut the action, but the historical setting, magical realism, and light romance (Lola develops feelings for Hernandez's young righthand man) offer several points of entry for readers. Salvacion's abilities are buoyed by her family, and the novel's emphasis on the value of community and respect for the land and its natural resources thoughtfully counters the traditional image of the lone hero. JESSICA AGUDELO

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Agudelo, Jessica. "Salvacion." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 101, no. 4, July-Aug. 2025, pp. 102+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A849568854/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d10fea65. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

Proudman, Sandra SALVACIÓN Wednesday Books (Teen None) $20.00 5, 20 ISBN: 9781250895080

Lola de la Peña defies the gendered expectations of her family and 19th-century Mexican culture as she fights burgeoning threats, both magical and human, to her home.

Mamá, Papá, Lola, and brother Víctor traveled to Alta California to fulfill Lola's mother's spiritual calling to heal people using sal negra, a magical substance that's mined there. Sal negra cures any injury or malady, and people in the town of Coloma wait to be treated by Mamá. But the stories of miraculous healing draw foes as well, including white men who intend to take the resource by force as they colonize Alta California, Indigenous territory recently ceded by Mexico to U.S. control. As Coloma grows more dangerous, Lola and Víctor team up to protect people; despite her parents' strong disapproval, Lola disguises herself as a masked woman vigilante known as Salvación. As her alter ego's reputation spreads, so do the dangers to Lola's family and town. When a mysterious caravan of men arrives, led by a charismatic leader who promises to restore Mexican sovereignty, they're welcomed by the townspeople and Lola's parents, who hope that now Salvación can retire. But a stranger's cryptic warning means Salvación may not be ready to give up the fight. Action-packed and thrilling with a touch of romance, Proudman's debut novel is an homage to folk hero stories told through a feminist lens. The work, which is rooted in ecological justice, effectively critiques colonialism and jingoistic nationalism.

A heartfelt, swashbuckling, standout novel.(Historical fantasy. 13-18)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Proudman, Sandra: SALVACION." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828785208/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=cb890cab. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

Proudman, Sandra RELIT Inkyard Press (Teen None) $20.99 2, 6 ISBN: 9781335010018

The 16 short stories in this fantasy and science fiction collection center Latinx teen protagonists and their nuanced coming-of-age experiences through genre-bending reimaginings of classic tales.

Saraciea J. Fennell's "Goldi and the Three Bodies" is a horror retelling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" that explores monstrousness and adolescent girlhood. "Shame and Social Media" by Anna Meriano offers a take on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice that's set on a spaceship carrying intergalactic teen vloggers. In "Evermore," NoNieqa Ramos remixes Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" into a story told in prose and verse that examines memory and coming out as queer. The contributors include many other popular and acclaimed Latinx authors, including Olivia Abtahi, David Bowles, Zoraida Córdova, Amparo Ortiz, Laura Pohl, and Ari Tison. Each entry completely transforms its source material into a fresh, culturally specific, and relevant new version. Woven throughout the stories are details that express each character's Latinx heritage and traditions, even within fantastical settings. Propelling each original tale are undercurrents emphasizing themes such as the importance of personal autonomy, fate as a driving force in our lives, the power of love, and the transformative, freeing effect of believing in your own power. A diverse cast of characters leads each story, including a nonbinary protagonist and people from different socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic backgrounds.

An expertly executed anthology remixing classics into empowering, modern vignettes. (contributor bios) (Speculative fiction anthology. 13-18)

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"Proudman, Sandra: RELIT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784238407/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8b2e8679. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

Agudelo, Jessica. "Salvacion." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 101, no. 4, July-Aug. 2025, pp. 102+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A849568854/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d10fea65. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025. "Proudman, Sandra: SALVACION." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A828785208/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=cb890cab. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025. "Proudman, Sandra: RELIT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784238407/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8b2e8679. Accessed 28 Aug. 2025.

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